Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an optoelectronic component having at least one light source which is monolithically integrated in a semiconductor material. In particular, the optoelectronic device has a laser diode. The invention also pertains to a method of producing such an optoelectronic component.
In telecommunications, in particular, the problem exists of operating ever smaller optoelectronic components at ever higher frequencies in order to increase the data transmission rates. The optical light power of a light source, in particular of a laser diode, is a significant parameter in this case. The light power must be regulated as exactly, simply and directly as possible for optimum operation. Both the knowledge of the optical power at a specific location in the optoelectronic component and the optical light power output by the latter at a specific location, e.g. to an optical waveguide (e.g. optical fiber), may be of interest in this case.
The publication by U. Koren et al. “A 1.3 μm Wavelength Laser with an Integrated Output Power Monitor Using a Directional Coupler Optical Power Tap”, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, Vol. 8, No. 3, March 1996, pp. 364-366, discloses branching off part of the optical light power e.g. by means of an optical coupling unit. The emitted light power of the laser diode is measured at the second coupling-out window of the optical resonator, a calibration measurement being used to produce a relationship with the light power of interest at the first coupling-out window. What is disadvantageous in this case is that this measurement is indirect and complicated.
Although combined light-emission-and-detection diodes (LEAD) are also known (Suzaki et al. “Novel 1.3 μm MQW light-emission-and-detection diode with flat responsivity characteristics”, Electron. Lett. Vol. 31, No. 16, Aug. 3, 1995, pp. 1388-89), these are not suitable for the regulation of monolithic integrated laser diodes themselves.